Climate activist Sohanur gets YAS24 award

Sohanur Rahman, Bangladeshi youth leader and climate activist, has been awarded with the prestigious Young Activist Laureate Award-2024.

The recognition is a significant milestone in Sohanur's journey as a climate activist.

He received the award at the Young Activists Summit (YAS24), held at the United Nations Palais
des Nations in Geneva on Tuesday.

He was one of five global honorees recognised for their outstanding contributions to democracy, human rights, and environmental transformation through grassroots activism.

The other honorees are Marley Dias, 19, US; Shanley Clemot McLaren, 25, French; Alvaro Quiroz, 25, Mexico and Cynthia Houniuhi, 29, Solomon Island.  

Earlier, Sohanur Rahman represented Bangladesh as an official youth delegate at the 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, where he met Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, and Lutfe Siddiqui, the chief adviser's special envoy on international affairs.

Both of them commended his relentless advocacy for climate justice and youth led activism.

Institutions such as the US Embassy in Dhaka, the EU Delegation in Dhaka, and the EU Mission in Geneva lauded Sohanur's inspiring leadership.

In his acceptance speech, delivered partly in Bangla, Sohanur dedicated the award to all climate warriors and victims of climate injustices, including his late colleague Saraban, a youth activist who died during the July uprising.

He highlighted that the award is a collective victory for those striving for a fairer, more sustainable world.
The summit, themed "Go Far, Go Together," inspired by the African proverb "If you want to go fast, go alone.

Sohanur shared his personal journey, recounting his survival of Super Cyclone Sidr in 2007, which inspired his lifelong commitment to climate justice.